In a conventional shear, a large sheet metal workpiece is supported on a stand formed by horizontal rails and vertical legs and is advanced along the stand and onto the shear bed where the workpiece is cut into smaller pieces by upper and lower cutting blades. The shear utilizes a squaring arm to keep the leading edge of the workpiece parallel to the cutting blades so that a square cut may be made.
In many instances, it is advantageous to be able to utilize the entire length of the cutting blades of the shear. Heretofore, the squaring arm has been a fixed part of the workpiece stand, and the location of the squaring arm prevents the effective utilization of the entire length of the cutting blades. Even where it is possible to remove the squaring arm from the stand, cumbersome and time-consuming procedures are required.